Newest Trenton council member says police need to be trained about residents recording them

TRENTON — The youngest city councilman has spoken the loudest about a resident alleging he was roughed up and arrested by cops for filming them apprehend a woman.

Citing case law, Councilman Duncan Harrison, 29, stated Wednesday night residents have a constitutional right to hit the record button.

“In order for residents to have confidence in the Trenton Police Department we need to know that our most basic constitutional rights will be protected,” said Harrison, who took the oath of office for his first term on July 1. “With so much widespread evidence to support citizens’ right to videotape, photograph, and audio record police carrying out their officials duties I will be recommending that The Trenton Police Department adopt a general order and training that recognize this right.”

Harrison added police departments in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia issued similar orders in recent years.

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The lone new addition to city council published the statement in the wake of The Trentonian’s coverage of police sicking a K-9 on city resident Lael Queen after he filmed cops allegedly assaulting a woman at noon on July 4 outside of a laundromat on the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard where he was washing his clothes.

Queen recounted the events Monday to The Trentonian and provided photos showing gashes to his leg and thigh from the dog attack. He also sustained cuts and bruises to his legs and face from officers allegedly assaulting him.

“The lines between justice and injustice cannot be blurred,” Harrison said. “We must ensure our officers have the right tools to perform their job in a professional manner.”

Several of Harrison’s peers also weighed in on the incident.

Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, who represents the North Ward where the melee occurred, said she spoke to Queen on a number of occasions and was “surprised” he was involved.

“I know the young man, but I also know both sides of the story,” she said. “My understanding is that police went by the book, but I did go out there to talk to the community about it.”

Caldwell-Wilson said she placed a call to new Acting Police Director Ernest Parrey Jr., who was appointed on July 1 shortly after Mayor Eric Jackson was sworn in, after receiving concerns from residents about police brutality.

“He responded to me immediately,” she said. “I will not get myself caught up in police business.”

The second-term councilwoman added the incident is in the hands of internal affairs at the police department and “that’s where it should be.”

“It’s going to be in the courts,” she said. “Maybe we can work toward some sort of better solution to this type of thing happening, but that’s down the road now that maybe we’ll get the cooperation from the police department.”

At-large Councilwoman Phyllis Holly-Ward, who received the most votes from residents during the last election, concurred with Caldwell-Wilson that there are two sides to every story.

“I do support residents having the right to report police, but in the same manner it needs to be on both ends,” she said. “If you’re going to report the police, you got to report crime also.”

Police have raised concerns about the lack of tips and information coming in from the community about criminal activity.

In turn, many residents have stated they do not trust the cops and fear retaliation for reporting a crime. There have also been numerous reports of excessive force lobbed against the Trenton Police Department in recent years, including the indictment of officer Nidia Colon for slamming a handcuffed woman’s head into the wall at La Guira Bar.

Councilman Alex Bethea said cops should not care that they are being filmed on duty.

“If police are doing their job, then they shouldn’t have anything to worry about,” he said. “I think the people have the right to video pretty much whatever they want.”

Bethea said he experienced the power of surveillance four years ago when someone filmed him parking in a handicapped parking space.

“Should I be angry with that? Absolutely not,” he said.

“I did wrong, somebody recorded it, reported it and I paid $300,” he added.

Council President Zachary Chester, Councilman George Muschal, who served 30 years as a Trenton police officer on the force, and Councilwoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson did not return messages seeking comment.

Bethea said he has not viewed the video of the Queen incident, but claims he has seen others.

“I have seen videos in the past where police were not behaving as they should have and people shared that video,” he said. “I thought it was appropriate for that person to share that information.”

About the Author

Originally from Webster, N.Y., David has been a reporter in N.J. for the past three years (first in Phillipsburg and now in Trenton).He is a Temple alum who interned at the Philadelphia Daily News. Reach the author at dfoster@trentonian.com
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